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1904 vs. Old vs New Gillette

Then the "New" open comb style came out. I'm not sure what the difference is except the "Old" Gillette design shaves me better.

Then there is the Merkur 1904, which has the same head geometry as the other Merkurs except for the Progress, as my searches here have shown.

Does this make it more "Old" style or more "New" style, if anyone has shaved with all three geometries (Old, New, Merkur 1904)? Basically I was hoping to find a modern open comb that uses the "Old" Gillette design.

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David [URL="http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=12450"]Hall O'Fame[/URL]
[SIZE="1"]
[I]Buddy Love:[/I] You're crazy about me, right? And I can understand it. Only this morning, looking in the mirror before shaving, I enjoyed seeing what I saw so much I couldn't tear myself away. Have some, baby?[/SIZE]

I have a Merkur open comb classic. Is that the Merkur you are referring to? I have the others as well. I've never really noticed a difference between the two respecting comb design but there are decided differences between head geometries. I've found some though not all of the "News" to be more aggressive with the blade sitting proud of the head in every one of them. A Feather in one of these can be a lethal combination. I speak from sad experience. I have however shaved with one old type moon tip open comb that was out for blood when combined with a Feather. My Merkur open comb (the only Merkur I now own) shaves more like the mild old types to me but YMMV. I do know that I can pop a Feather in it and not have to keep the paramedics on standby!
Hope this helps!

Thanks, that helps. I've gone as far as an IP in an "old" comb and found it to be aggressive enough for my needs. I didn't want to go past that.

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David [URL="http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=12450"]Hall O'Fame[/URL]
[SIZE="1"]
[I]Buddy Love:[/I] You're crazy about me, right? And I can understand it. Only this morning, looking in the mirror before shaving, I enjoyed seeing what I saw so much I couldn't tear myself away. Have some, baby?[/SIZE]

Razors in the Merkur Classic series are available as “open-comb”—separated teeth instead of a safety bar. Open-comb razors have the blade either resting on the teeth (the Merkur and old Gillettes) or just above the teeth (the improvement introduced with the Gillette NEW IMPROVED (1921) and used in later models). The safety bar is a solid bar that rides on your skin just ahead of the blade as you shave.

The open comb was the original design, with the safety bar introduced later (easier to manufacture and not so fragile—drop an open-comb and you’re likely to bend one of the teeth). The safety bar pushes away all the lather before the blade does its work, whereas the open comb leaves some lather as protection.

<photos appear here>

On the left is an example of an open-comb razor with the blade resting directly on the comb. This particular razor is the Merkur Hefty Classic Open Comb. On the right is the better design (in my opinion) with the blade held above the teeth by the “coat-hanger” profile of the base plate. The razor in the photo is the Gillette NEW, first offered in 1930.

An open-comb razor has a different feel from a safety-bar, and you can get a good shave with either. Most men opt for the safety bar. The quality of the shave is due mostly to the prep, the blade, and your technique, in any case.

Michael as always your sage comments are most welcome! I have to ask though are you a fan of the open comb yourself or more of a safety bar man? I'm an unabashed open comb lover as I like the way they stand the hairs up, leave a wee bit of lather behind, and since I've started paying attention to it, I like the feel of those teeth along my newly exfoliated skin during subsequent passes! That being said I'm not going to get rid of my straight bars!!